You open your eyes and find yourself in a pastural valley, surrounded by faraway mountains and a starry sky. A handful of stars are brighter than the others, and when you look at one, it slowly grows and shrinks, then eventually floats away. You repeat the process with a couple more stars, and the moon fades down toward the horizon as relaxing sunlight and music starts to fill the air.
Then you take your headset off.
The starry night is one of several virtual reality experiences made by David Waltenbaugh and his Richmond startup Root Virtual Reality, which aims to help young people manage their mental health and cope with anxiety and depression.
Root is developing a platform for clinicians and healthcare providers that allows their patients to learn skills like relaxation, processing emotions and family integration through VR experiences. The stars, in this case, are meant to guide a user through a deep breathing exercise that they hopefully will continue to use without the headset.
"That's representative of what we’re trying to do – like hiding the vegetables in the meatloaf," Waltenbaugh said. "We use these strategies in a way that’s not shoved in your face, and hopefully this makes you feel better and you use them when you’re by yourself and feeling panicky."
Waltenbaugh, a Richmond native and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, previously worked in investments, knowing it wasn't his forever job. He struggled with anxiety and depression since he was young, but as he became more comfortable sharing his experiences, he realized they were incredibly valuable to others managing their mental health.
The idea for Root struck about three years ago, when virtual reality technology became more consumer friendly and Waltenbaugh learned about its usefulness in therapy.
"I was naturally inclined for tech, and also have this creative side of me that I'm trying to pursue," he said. "I realized there aren’t really experts in VR yet, so it was purely serendipitous – right place right time – where all the different aspects of my life and goals for myself came together."
Root launched about a year ago, initially focused on foster care and adoption, but pivoted in March to cover more broad mental health issues as it built the platform. This summer it built a handful of VR experiences and started a small round of user testing, seeking feedback as it negotiates paid pilot programs with clinicians this fall.
The company, a member of Startup Virginia, also won the inaugural VCU Alumni Pitch Competition on Saturday as it looks to emerge from stealth, sign its first partnerships and eventually find funding for a 2020 expansion. It received $2,500, three months of coworking space and technical consulting from Richmond software developer Covintus as an award.
Waltenbaugh said Root is being used by a couple therapists currently, with plans for a dozen on the platform by January and hundreds by the end of next year. He's targeting B2B subscription sales at first, looking to make some revenue before developing a consumer version of the platform and embarking on a full-scale market launch.
